Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery speech to parliament on Wednesday, prompting a boycott by Democratic lawmakers inside the Capitol and sparking massive protests outside, intensifying a partisan fight over Israeli-Palestinian relations that is expected to continue until the November election.
Addressing a rare joint session of Congress, Prime Minister Netanyahu detailed the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, warned of continuing threats from Iran and other regional adversaries, and called on U.S. policymakers to unite behind Israel to eradicate these threats once and for all.
“For the forces of civilization to prevail, America and Israel must stand united,” he said, thanking President Biden for his “half-century of friendship with Israel.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu positioned Israel as America’s strongest ally and defender in the Middle East and called for the continuation and acceleration of U.S. military assistance, disagreeing with President Biden’s withholding of some heavy weaponry and calls by opponents and protesters to halt U.S. military assistance.
“I am deeply grateful for American support, including in this war, but this is an exceptional moment. Rapid U.S. military assistance could dramatically hasten the end of the war in Gaza and prevent a broader war in the Middle East,” he said.
The atmosphere surrounding Netanyahu’s visit to Washington and his message were markedly different from his last major speech to Congress in 2015, when he slammed the Obama administration’s efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.
Netanyahu thanked Biden for his support during the war and also paid tribute to former President Trump before meeting with the Republican presidential candidate in Florida on Friday, underscoring the prime minister’s cautious stance between Republicans and Democrats ahead of the November election.
“Israelis, like Americans, are relieved that President Trump has escaped safely from this vile attack on himself and on American democracy,” the Israeli leader said, referring to the July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
But Netanyahu’s presence has deepened already deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats, and among Democrats themselves, over his far-right policy agenda and, more specifically, his response to the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Such tensions were unavoidable around the Capitol, where thousands of activists gathered on the National Mall to protest against what they see as war criminals. Vice President Kamala Harris, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, was conspicuously absent from the podium behind Netanyahu, where she usually stands to greet foreign leaders.
Many Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), also boycotted the speech, accusing Netanyahu of emboldening far-right extremists, inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and undermining the possibility of a two-state solution.
These critics believe that Netanyahu’s pursuit of his goal of eliminating Hamas has led to a humanitarian catastrophe across the Gaza Strip, with widespread destruction and tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in fighting.
Netanyahu brushed off the criticism on Wednesday, saying Israel had ensured the lowest number of civilian deaths relative to combatants in the history of urban warfare, a comment that drew muted applause from Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who had earlier called Netanyahu the worst leader in Jewish history.
After the speech, Nadler appeared on MSNBC and accused Netanyahu of speaking insincerely: “He says he wants peace, but his political interest is to keep the war going for as long as possible,” he said.
The few dozen Democrats who attended the speech mostly remained seated throughout Netanyahu’s remarks.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, went a step further, holding up a sign that read “War Criminals” on one side and “Guilty of Genocide” on the other, drawing boos from some Republicans on the floor. She had invited as her guest Hani al-Madhoun, a Palestinian-American who lost 150 family members in the Gaza war.
The hostages’ families, who were also in attendance, expressed little enthusiasm for the prime minister’s message, accusing him of frustrating all efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement to allow the return of the 120 people still being held by Hamas, including eight Americans.
“It’s no secret that there are people in Israel who believe a dead hostage is better than a living one. Someone who believes a dead hostage is far less shameful than a living one has the audacity to try to force the US Congress into his twisted scheme,” Zahiro Shahar Mol, whose uncle remains a hostage held by Hamas, told Democratic caucuses ahead of Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday.
Or Mr. Gatto, whose mother was killed on Oct. 7 and whose sister remains held captive in Gaza, who was left scratching his head as Mr. Netanyahu defended his record.
“To listen to him talk about the nine-month war that is tearing Israel apart and to hear people in Congress applaud who have done more for the hostages than he has, is saddening and angering to me,” Gatto said.
But with Netanyahu’s harshest critics absent, the audience in the chamber overwhelmingly embraced his message, erupting into multiple standing ovations and chants of “USA, USA” as the prime minister condemned the burning of American flags as part of anti-Israel protests on university campuses and directed his anger at the protests outside the Capitol.
“You have officially become Iran’s useful fools,” Netanyahu told the protesters, highlighting a unifying theme in his remarks that Iran welcomes the destruction of Israel as a step to threaten the United States.
“Standing before Iran in the heart of the Middle East is a proud, pro-American democracy: my country, Israel.”
Just a few blocks from the Capitol, protesters had rallied to call for Netanyahu to be arrested on suspicion of war crimes. After his speech, a group of protesters lowered the American flag outside Union Station, raised the Palestinian flag and clashed with police.
Wednesday’s speech marked the culmination of a months-long debate in parliament over Netanyahu’s leadership style, particularly in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
While lawmakers from both parties are virtually unanimous in supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, many Democrats have openly criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu’s heavy-handed military response in Gaza, which has created a humanitarian crisis, and Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which violates international law.
In March, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York, the highest-ranking Jewish policymaker in U.S. history, He gave a shocking speech In the chamber, he slammed Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership as an obstacle to peace and called for new elections to be held in Israel to replace him.
Schumer’s unusual move prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to draft an invitation to Netanyahu to address Congress within days, a letter that was ultimately approved by Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) but not signed until weeks after receiving the draft.
The delay reflects sharp divisions within the Democratic Party, pitting pro-Israel Democrats who support Netanyahu’s aggressive military strategy against lawmakers sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians who criticize him for doing too little to protect civilian lives.
Biden has pushed for a phased ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the best way to ensure the safety of the hostages and negotiate a Palestinian state. Netanyahu’s critics see him as an obstacle to signing a deal because Hamas has insisted on taking a role in governing Palestinian territories after the war, something the U.S. opposes.
Netanyahu gave a slight nod to the talks and said, “Right now we are making intensive efforts to secure their release. I am confident that some of these efforts will be successful, and some of them are underway right now.”
But he followed that up by calling for a “demilitarized and deradicalized” Gaza Strip governed by a Palestinian civilian administration.
“The war could end tomorrow if Hamas disarms, surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages. But if they do not, Israel will fight until it destroys Hamas’ military power, ends its rule in Gaza and returns all the hostages home,” Netanyahu said.
“That’s what a complete victory looks like and we won’t settle for anything less.”
